Britain’s Francesca Jones secured back-to-back Challenger Tour titles after successfully defending her Palermo Ladies Open crown with a hard-fought victory over France’s Fiona Ferro.

The top seed prevailed 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) in a dramatic final lasting two hours and 43 minutes.

Jones blitzed through the opening set in just 21 minutes, but Ferro fought back in the second set to level the match. The deciding set went to a tie-break, where Ferro failed to convert a match point at 6-5, allowing the Briton to seal the win.

"We both deserved to win. It was a close match until the end, and we did everything we could," said Jones.

The victory marks Jones’s fourth career Challenger Tour title and her second in just eight days, following her recent triumph at the ATV Rome Open.

Following her title defense, the 25-year-old is set to rise to 110 in the WTA rankings.